Tommie James Campbell (born September 19, 1987) is an American former professional
gridiron football cornerback
A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover Wide receiver, receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such Play from scrimmage, offensive running plays as sweep ...
. He was drafted by the
Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division, and play their hom ...
in the seventh round of the
2011 NFL Draft.
High school career
While attending
Aliquippa High School, Campbell was a multi-sport star in football, basketball and track. He was the Pennsylvania state high school sprint champion in 2005.
[
]
College career
He went on to play college football at Pitt (2005–2006), Edinboro University
PennWest Edinboro is a campus of Pennsylvania Western University, a multi-campus public university in Pennsylvania. Located in the town of Edinboro, the campus has more than 4,600 enrolled students.
History
Edinboro University was founded a ...
(2007), and California (PA) (2010). Academic problems ended his playing career at Pitt and Edinboro, and he was working as a janitor at Pittsburgh International Airport
Pittsburgh International Airport , formerly Greater Pittsburgh International Airport, is a civil–military international airport in Findlay Township and Moon Township, Pennsylvania. Located about 10 miles (15 km) west of downtown Pitts ...
from 2008 to 2009.[ Campbell was afforded a third chance to play college football by the California University of Pennsylvania. Campbell made good on the third opportunity. He appeared in all 12 games for California (Pa.). California coach ]John Luckhardt
John Luckhardt is a former American football player and coach. He was the head football coach at California University of Pennsylvania in California, Pennsylvania from 2002 to 2011. Luckhardt coached at Washington & Jefferson College from 1982 t ...
said that Campbell's life experiences had helped him mature and quipped, "One of the things he said was that cleaning toilets at 12 o'clock at night really got his attention."[ Campbell, in turn, has expressed his gratitude to Coach Luckhardt for giving him another chance: "Cal gave me another shot at pursuing my dream, which is to be a success in the NFL."] Based on his comeback performance in 2010, Campbell was one of only eight Division II players to participate in the 2011 Eastham Energy All-Star Game in Arizona. He also participated in the Cactus Bowl
The Guaranteed Rate Bowl is an annual college football bowl game that has been played in the state of Arizona since 1989.
Played as the Copper Bowl from inception through 1996, it was known as the Insight.com Bowl from 1997 through 2001, then ...
(Division II All Star Game) in Texas.[ Campbell ran a 4.31 40-yard dash at the Cactus Bowl, ranking third among the 300-plus prospects at the event.]
Professional career
Tennessee Titans
He was selected by the Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division, and play their hom ...
in the seventh round of the 2011 NFL Draft. In a 2012-week 3 matchup against the ampa Bay Bucs in the first quarter, Darius Reynaud
Darius Reynaud (born December 29, 1984) is a former American football running back and return specialist. He was signed by the Minnesota Vikings as an undrafted free agent in 2008. He played college football at West Virginia.
He has also played ...
caught a punt and threw a Lateral pass to Campbell, who returned the football 65 yards for a touchdown similar to the Music City Miracle
The Music City Miracle was an American football play that took place on January 8, 2000, during the National Football League's (NFL) 1999–2000 playoffs. It occurred at the end of the American Football Conference (AFC) Wild Card playoff game bet ...
. The Titans would win 44–41 in Overtime. On August 29, 2014, he was released.
Jacksonville Jaguars
Campbell signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division. The team pla ...
after a season-ending injury to cornerback Alan Ball. He was waived on August 29, 2015.
Calgary Stampeders
Campbell started all 18 games and had 71 defensive tackles including a tackle for a loss, 1 special-teams tackle, 3 interceptions and 9 knockdowns, one of his interceptions being a game winning one in an overtime victory against the BC Lions
The BC Lions are a professional Canadian football team based in Vancouver, British Columbia. The Lions compete in the West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL), and play their home games at BC Place.
The Lions played their first seas ...
in week 3. He also added four punt returns for 21 yards. He was named a West Division all-star. On January 24, 2017, Campbell turned himself into police custody after being charged with multiple drug related charges. Police believed he was selling drugs out of his residence in Aliquippa, Pennsylvania
Aliquippa is the largest city in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, United States, located on the Ohio River about northwest of Pittsburgh. The population was 9,238 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Pittsburgh metropolitan area.
Formerly the loc ...
during the CFL off-season. However, the charges were subsequently dropped and his record cleared. Campbell returned to the Stamps for the team's 2017 training camp.
Montreal Alouettes
Campbell signed with the Montreal Alouettes
The Montreal Alouettes (French: Les Alouettes de Montréal) are a professional Canadian football team based in Montreal, Quebec. Founded in 1946, the team has folded and been revived twice. The Alouettes compete in the East Division of the Canad ...
on February 13, 2018. He was considered one of the top free agents on the market, having not allowed a touchdown during the 2017 regular season, On September 20, 2018, Campbell and the Alouettes agreed to a two-year contract extension; keeping him with the club through the 2020 season. Campbell finished the 2018 season with 38 tackles, 1 interception, and one forced fumble in 17 games played; Campbell was removed from the lineup for one game by head coach Mike Sherman
Michael Francis Sherman (born December 19, 1954) is an American gridiron football coach and former player who most recently was the head coach of the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He was the head coach of the Green B ...
for not buckling a chin strap at practice earlier in the week. Although the Alouettes finished the season out of playoff contention with a 5–13 record, Campbell and the ball-hawk Montreal defense helped improve the team's record by two wins from the previous season. Campbell got off to a fast start in 2019, forcing 3 turnovers in Montreal's first 4 games. In 16 games, Campbell made 66 tackles, 3 interceptions, and two forced fumbles, and was named a divisional All-Star. He was released by the Alouettes on January 31, 2020.
Toronto Argonauts
On February 5, 2020, Campbell signed with the Toronto Argonauts
The Toronto Argonauts (officially the Toronto Argonaut Football Club and colloquially known as the Argos) are a professional Canadian football team competing in the East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL), based in Toronto, Ontario ...
. He announced his retirement from football on December 30, 2020.
References
External links
Toronto Argonauts bio
Tennessee Titans bio
California Vulcans bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Campbell, Tommie
1987 births
Living people
African-American players of American football
African-American players of Canadian football
American football cornerbacks
Calgary Stampeders players
California Vulcans football players
Canadian football defensive backs
Jacksonville Jaguars players
People from Aliquippa, Pennsylvania
Players of American football from Pennsylvania
Sportspeople from the Pittsburgh metropolitan area
Tennessee Titans players
Toronto Argonauts players
Montreal Alouettes players
Pittsburgh Panthers football players
Edinboro Fighting Scots football players
21st-century African-American sportspeople
20th-century African-American people